Turkey Gulet Cruise & Hike

This morning, we visit the spectacular Santa Sophia church, erected 1,500 years ago by Emperor Justinian and once the largest church in the world. Then, we descend beneath Istanbul to the vast cisterns that enabled Constantinople to withstand numerous sieges. Hundreds of Roman columns support centuries-old vaulted ceilings, making this a visually unforgettable experience. After a delicious lunch in a local Lokanda, we visit the outside of the Blue Mosque (if there is not an endless line-up, we will go in) built 1,000 years after Santa Sofia and one of the most beautiful mosques in the world. Your guide will also take you to the Hippodrome, where chariot races once entertained the Byzantine Emperor thousands of years ago. This evening, we take you over the Galata Bridge and up the second-oldest tram line in the world to have dinner in the Beyoğlu district. Although inhabited since the time of Constantine, its 19th-century European architecture is a testament to its history as an enclave of European bankers, merchants, and diplomats during the Ottoman period. Today, the district has a vibrant nightlife frequented by locals of all ages. Overnight Istanbul. Hotel, breakfast, lunch, and dinner included.

Today, we experience the opulent and elegant Topkapi Palace, which was home to the Ottoman Sultans for 500 years. We walk to lunch and then to the Grand Bazaar, a thousand-year-old shopping mecca with over 3,000 shops packed into 60 streets. After orienting you, your guide will give you free time to enjoy the bazaar, or you can try a Turkish Hammam. Dinner this evening at an excellent Indian restaurant with a view of the minarets and dome of the Hagia Sophia.  Overnight Istanbul. Hotel, breakfast, lunch, and dinner included.

We have a morning transfer to the airport for our flight south to Dalaman, on the Mediterranean coast. We are met at the airport and have a 20-minute van transfer to Göcek village, where we will board our yacht. We then cruise to a secluded bay and drop off for a short hike along the Lydae peninsula. Our destination is Hammam Bay, the Roman baths where Cleopatra once met her beloved Marc Antony en route to battle. We are picked up by the boat and spend the night anchored in a protected bay. The Hike: 1.5 hrs over rocky, undulating terrain. Distance:  4 km (2.5 mi). Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are included.

Enjoy a refreshing plunge into the warm waters of the Mediterranean before breakfast on the aft deck. Around 9:30 we start our two-hour walk to Aliman Bay. Follow an ancient trail that leads from semi-submerged Roman ruins up to a hidden valley, home now to a solitary farmer and his family but formerly the site of the Roman town of Lydae, whose ruins remain 2,000 years later. We descend along an ancient road to a gorgeous bay where the boat awaits us. It's time for a swim, then we have lunch on board and relax as we cruise across the Gulf of Fethiye. We anchor in the lee of Gemiler island, whose Byzantine ruins we explore in the soft glow of the evening light. Formerly a stopping-off point along the pilgrimage route to Jerusalem, the island is covered in chapels and tombs dating from the 5th – 8th centuries as well as a mysterious covered walkway. Lunch and dinner on board. Morning Hike: 2.5 hours with some moderate climbing on rocky trails. Distance: About 8 km (5 mi) Afternoon Hike: 1 – 1.5 hours with a short climb. Distance: About 3 km (2 mi) Breakfast, lunch, and dinner included.

Enjoy a morning swim, then motor to Olü Deniz, one of the Mediterranean’s most beautiful bays. From here, we take a van up to the village of Kirme and begin our walk high above the coast. We stop for tea in Faralya village, with great views over dramatic Butterfly Bay, then continue along terraced olive groves and through a pine forest to reach Kabak Bay. We have lunch at a small restaurant overlooking the sea and our yacht in the bay below. The afternoon is free for swimming and relaxing. Dinner on board. The Hike: 3 hrs, with one long downhill, one short uphill, and a long flat traverse. Shorter options are available. Distance: About 12 km (7.2 mi). Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are included.

Today, we go inland to get a glimpse of rural life and explore the ruins of ancient Lycia while our boat cruises along an exposed bit of coast. Our one-hour transfer along a beautiful back road takes us to Pinara, a Lycian city whose acropolis is perched high on a rocky promontory. The surrounding rock walls are honey-combed with carved rock tombs. We explore the acropolis of this once-important Lycian city and marvel at the ruins that date back to the 6th century B.C., including a deserted Greek theater. Lunch is prepared for us by a farming family and served under the shade of their olive trees. After lunch, we continue to the coastal village of Kalkan, where the boat will be waiting for us. Cruise to a lovely calm bay, have a refreshing swim or a cold drink, followed by dinner on board. The Hike: about 2 hours to explore the ruins; not much distance, just a bit of climbing. About 4 km (2.5 mi). Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are included.